There are many times I have gone to make icecream and read through the recipe to find that I need an icecream maker which I don’t have – so very annoying! I guess I should buy one but I am trying really hard not to cover my kitchen in gadgets – I actually don’t even own a food processor, I make do with my blender and a variety of olde world utensils.
In my latest bout of icecream frustration I decided to go Italian and make a semifreddo. Semifreddo means ‘half cold’, it has the same ingredients as icecream (egg yolks, cream and sugar), it’s just that the technique is different. A sabayon is made with the eggs and sugar which is then folded with a whipped cream. It has a mousse-like texture meaning it doesn’t freeze as hard as an ice cream and the only gadget you need is a spoon – to eat it with.
This Baci Semifreddo is so sinfully lush that I am cursing myself for not having tried it out years ago. It is best described as a lightly frozen chocolate mousse with the occasional toasted hazelnut to add a little crunch. We ate quite alot before it was put in the freezer and it didn’t take long for the remainder to be eaten once it was ready.
I will eventually buy an icecream maker, we eat so much of the icy treat at home that I really think it would be worthwhile. Or it could backfire terribly and I will end up in the kitchen every day churning out a new flavour – is that a good thing or a bad thing?
9 egg yolks
250 grams/8.8 ounces caster (superfine) sugar
Scraped seeds of 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla paste
20 mls Frangelico
200 grams/7 ounces dark chocolate (55% cocoa solids), melted, plus extra to serve
2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa, sieved
600 mls thickened cream
250 grams/8.8 ounces crème fraîche
150 grams/5.3 ounces roasted hazelnuts, skins removed, coarsely chopped
To serve: maraschino cherries (optional)
Line a 2 litre-capacity mould with plastic wrap or baking paper.
Whisk yolks, sugar, vanilla seeds and Frangelico in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until mixture is tripled in volume, thick and pale and holds a ribbon (4-5 minutes). Transfer semifreddo mixture to an electric mixer and whisk until cool (2-3 minutes). Add chocolate and cocoa and mix to combine.
Meanwhile, whisk cream and crème fraîche in a bowl until soft peaks form. Fold one-third into egg mixture to loosen mixture, then fold through remaining cream and hazelnuts. Spoon into container, cover, freeze until firm (6 hours-overnight). Makes about 2 litres.
Serve scoops of Baci semifreddo drizzled with extra melted chocolate and topped with a maraschino cherry.
Source: Lisa Featherby for Australian Gourmet Traveller, January 2010
© 2011, Michelle. All rights reserved.
